englishprojectfandomcom-20200214-history
The Republic of Gilead
The Republic of Gilead is an authoritarian theocracy that existed in North America for much of the 21st Century. Gilead’s most notable feature was its unique class structure, which ultimately lead to the republic's downfall in 2093. Social Structure Further Information: Social Structure of the Republic of Gilead, Women and Minorities in the Republic of Gilead All non-Caucasian citizens were completely exiled from the main body of the country to what was known in Gilead as ‘the Colonies.’ The remaining men in Gilead were broken into three main groups: the Commanders, who were the highest-ranking officials in Gilead society, the Angels, who acted as Gilead’s military force, and the Guardians, who acted as a local police force. The women of Gilead were divided into groups depending on their primary role in the household. The Wives were the highest-ranking women in Gilead society and primarily ran the social lives of the Commanders. Aunts are the second-highest ranking women within Gilead, and were the ones responsible for training the Handmaids. The Handmaids are the lowest-class of women in Gilead, tasked with becoming pregnant to combat the dwindling Gilead population. The final major class of women in Gilead were the Marthas, who were tasked with taking care of the physical state of a Commander’s estate, through tasking like cooking and cleaning. History What defines the beginning of the Republic of Gilead is still under debate. Some scholars define the beginning of Gilead as the assassination of both the House of Representatives and the Senate of the former United States occurring in early 2019. Most scholars define the beginning of this era as occurring at the same time as the suspension of the U.S. Constitution later that year, as it illustrates the full shift in power to the Early Gilead leaders. The final possible date for the start of Gilead is late 2021, when the name Gilead first begins appearing in writings and slightly in international relations. The general consensus is to define the years from 2019 to 2021 as the Pre-Gilead Period, with the Republic of Gilead coming into existence in late 2021. Pre-Gilead Period (2019-2021) The Pre-Gilead Period begins with the ‘Sons of Jacob’ attacking a joint session of both the House and Senate of the United States, placing the blame on extremist Muslim terrorists. The resulting power vacuum was quickly filled by members of the ‘Sons of Jacob,’ who began to use their newfound power to begin the changes that would ultimately lead to the formation of the Republic of Gilead. Domestic Policy The pre-Gilead United States began swiftly stripping the rights of women and minorities, using the chaos caused by the mass assassination of the U.S. federal government as an excuse. This ultimately culminated with the suspension of the U.S. Constitution. This gave the ‘Sons of Jacob’ free reign to remove the rights of every citizen in the United States, and begin instating what would later be the basis of Gilead society. Foreign Policy After the assassination of the U.S. federal government, the pre-Gilead United States began to practice extreme isolationism, citing the numerous domestic issues as the reason for this policy shift. The pre-Gilead borders were closed, and the pre-Gilead U.S. temporarily pulled out of several trade agreements, as well as the United Nations. Several documents suggest that the domestic issues faced by the pre-Gilead United States were less severe than described by the government of time, and this was primarily an excuse to remove them from the international eye in order to sow the seeds of the Gilead Republic. Early Gilead Period (2021-2047) '''Little is known about the first 8 to 10 years of the Early Gilead Period. It is assumed that this was when most of the basis of the new society began to be incorporated. Much of what occurred during the earliest years of the Republic of Gilead is believed to have been destroyed during the Middle Gilead Period. Once the annexation of the former United States was complete, the remainder of the Early Gilead Period was mostly stable. Beginning trade with Canada and Mexico allowed Gilead access to resources and luxuries that had been abandoned during the period of isolation. In addition, while there were the rumors of the human rights violation occurring in Gilead, reports were scattered and unconfirmed. '''Domestic Policy The most notable domestic policy of the Early Gilead Period was the less zealous nature of most individuals in the republic. Since the majority of Gilead society could remember the time before the formation of Gilead, it was difficult to completely remove the previous era’s culture and instill the almost rabid belief in Gilead that is evident the later Gilead. Despite the less fervent nature of early Gilead, the government still heavily incentivized reporting law breakers, who would then be sentenced to death or exiled to the Colonies. The heavily incentivized reporting also created a rift between individuals in early Gilead society, resulting in little to no resistance with the implementation of these laws. Foreign Policy Early Gilead’s foreign policy mostly dealt with the continued annexation of the remainder of the United States. Up until 2025, Gilead was facing extreme resistance from the remains of the U.S. However, due to a lack of resources, Gilead began to re-enter the international scene by discussing trade agreements with both Canada and Mexico in 2025. With access to more resources, and a desire for Gilead to be a dominating force on the world stage, the remaining portion of the United States was swiftly annexed, being fully completed in 2034. This move also secured Canada as one of Gilead’s allies, as they were afraid of entering into war with Gilead. Now established allies, Canada began to round up and extradite anyone who was believed to have escaped from Gilead. First Gilead Revolution Further information: First Gilead Revolution' '' The end of the Early Gilead Period is marked by the First Gilead Revolution, which is speculated to have begun in the middle of 2046. The revolution was started by the first post-Gilead children. Due to being exposed to the rhetoric of Gilead from birth, the majority of this group were much more fervent in the beliefs of Gilead, and were unhappy at the more lackadaisical way at which the members of Early Gilead Period treated the core beliefs of society. '''Middle Gilead Period (2047 - 2084) '''There is little official documentation from the Middle Gilead Period. Due to becoming a major player in international politics, Middle Gilead leaders began destroying documentation that could potentially paint Gilead in a negative light internationally. This purge is the primary reason so little official documentation of the internal workings of Gilead exists, with most information being speculative or possibly unreliable. '''Domestic Policy The domestic policy in the Middle Gilead Period was mostly defined as stricter version of the policies seen in Early Gilead society. This was due to the first wave of completely Gilead-raised children reaching adulthood and taking over positions of power. The common citizen was believed to have been fanatically devoted to both Gilead and its beliefs, as not showing this devotion was punishable by death or exile. Foreign Policy Internationally, Middle Gilead was seen an economic powerhouse. By utilizing people exiled to the colonies as slave labor, Gilead produced high quality goods extremely cheaply. When combined with extremely beneficial trade arrangements with both Canada and Mexico, Gilead was seen as the top producer of everything from electronics to construction materials. As a result, Gilead’s economy boomed, but also resulted in a greater rift between the poor and the elite. United Nations Investigation Further information: Republic of Gilead’s Human Rights Violation With the economy doing well, the upper classes of Middle Gilead began treating the lower classes worse than previously, leading to more attempted escapes from Gilead into both Mexico and Canada. As more people attempted to flee Gilead and seek refugee status elsewhere, stories of the atrocities in Gilead began to reach an international stage. These stories ultimately lead to a United Nations investigation that began in 2080. Despite Gilead’s status as an economic powerhouse, the UN finished their investigation in mid-2084, and concluded that the Republic of Gilead was in violation of the UN human rights agreement. Late Gilead Period (2084- 2093) The Late Gilead Period is marked by the domestic and international unrest faced by the Republic of Gilead immediately prior to their collapse. Domestic Policy Due to the U.N. sanctioned trade embargo and the lack of any domestic resources, Gilead began to enter an severe economic depression. This lead to extreme civil unrest in the lower classes, who began revolting against the upper class, beginning the Second Gilead Revolution in 2089. Foreign Policy Upon concluding their investigation, the United Nations instituted an international trade embargo on the Republic of Gilead. Upon the start of the Second Gilead Revolution, the United Nations moved to support the revolutionaries by offering supplies and troops. Following the conclusion of the revolution, the U.N. sent several delegates to oversee the rebuilding of the post-Gilead nation. Second Gilead Revolution Further information: Second Gilead Revolution With the civic unrest and pressure from the United Nations boiling over in 2089, the Second Gilead Revolution began with various attacks in Northeastern Gilead, which housed the highest concentration of Commanders in the republic. What began as individual, unorganized strikes quickly coalesced into a military front that swept most of the eastern coast of Gilead, ultimately reaching the capital in late 2092. After a 6 month siege on the capital, the remaining Gilead government surrendered to the revolutionaries in mid-2093, marking the end of the revolution and the Republic of Gilead. Additional Notes Overall, much of what is known about the Republic of Gilead is speculation. Due to the actions of Gilead leaders during the Middle and Late periods, there is little official documentation. Most of the information on Gilead is from personal accounts of accounts of individuals living in Gilead during the respective time period, like the Handmaid’s Tale or the Diary of P. Much of the information obtained by the United Nations during their investigation was sealed for ‘public safety’ reasons. As of 6/19/2196, this is the most accurate record of Gilead history as agreed upon by top scholars in the field.